At fifteen, JT Pierce was the star of a hit TV show and had the world in his hands. Every teeny-bopper magazine had his face on it; every teenage girl had his poster on her wall. But then the show went on hiatus, and JT wouldn’t lower himself to bit parts or commercials. Slowly, his star faded from view.<br><br>Seven years later, JT is Johnny Thomas, who hopes to jumpstart his career by hiring his former manager, Lou Merrin. He wants to do serious movies, a huge blockbuster or two, and claim one of those coveted Oscars for himself. But Lou cautions Johnny about the paparazzi, who can make or break a star these days, and he’s heard rumors of Johnny’s sexuality that might prevent him from landing those coveted leading roles.<br><br>Still, Johnny’s nothing if not persistent, and he swears he’ll play it straight. Until he meets Brett, a photographer who turns his life -- and his heart -- upside down. Suddenly the celebrity gossip website Z-23 seems to have exclusive pictures of Johnny, and someone close to him leaks information about an audition that was supposed to be kept quiet. When photographs surface that Johnny thought were taken in confidence, he realizes he must choose between the career path Lou offers him and the love he wants to share with Brett.

Beautiful Liar

He can’t believe this. “These weren’t meant to be seen.” 


“Oh?” Lou’s voice sounds tight, strained, as if he’s holding back emotions Johnny can only guess must be whirling inside him. “You take a picture with a camera, Johnny, and it’s going to get back to someone somewhere.” 


Johnny shakes his head in disbelief. “We were just playing around. It was Brett’s personal camera—” 


“What the hell does that mean?” Lou leans back against his desk, arms crossed before his chest, and glares at Johnny as if he could burn those pictures and the boy in front of him with that evil eye alone. “The man’s a professional photographer, kid. He does this for a living. There’s nothing personalabout it.” 


You’re wrong.Johnny shuffles the papers together, placing the ones with him naked in between the ones with Brett so no one sees them. He feels violated, used, exposed.“How did you get these?” he wants to know. 


Chapter 13